Feb. 26 Letters: Safety net programs

Support safety net

With all the activity surrounding a new Congress and president, millions of Americans are asking, "What next?"

Unfortunately, congressional leaders will attempt to make radical changes to the social safety net, dismantling programs such as SNAP (formerly food stamps) which every year enables millions of people to put food on their tables.

According to Census Bureau data nearly one in seven Americans is living below the poverty line. The good news is that federal antipoverty programs have allowed millions of citizens to move out of poverty. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that during FY 2016, SNAP helped feed 10 percent of Virginia's population, 73 percent of whom were children. Nearly 43 percent of those kids were in working families and 32 percent were in households with disabled or elderly members.

I understand what it is to struggle to afford groceries. Many years ago, as a single mother living in deep poverty with two children, the challenge to provide them adequate meals sometimes sent me into a panic. Had it not been for receiving food stamps while I worked to get back on my feet, there would have been more instances of my children and I scrambling for food.

Instead of restructuring SNAP in such a way that will dramatically reduce the program's ability to continue fighting hunger, Congress should recognize the vital role it plays in the very survival of America's low-income families. These citizens need Congress to work together to preserve and strengthen SNAP — still our nation's No. 1 defense against hunger.